Chapter 14
"Kehek?!"
Such was the overwhelming power of Hong Gukyul's energy that with just one of his kicks, Jaseong was sent flying into the very center of the immense swamp.
Mud, heavy with moisture, splattered in every direction, and Jaseong's body began to sink slowly.
"Heaven Evading Phantom Step is the lightest footwork in the world. You never step down with force. That's why the first stage of Heaven Evading Phantom Step is to walk on top of a swamp."
"... Walk on top of a swamp?"
It sounded utterly preposterous.
There might be masters in the martial world who could dash across water, but that was something only the peak masters could dream of.
For Jaseong, who had only just started training in martial arts, it was simply impossible.
"If you can't do this, you'll never be able to master Heaven Evading Phantom Step in your lifetime."
"...!"
"If there's a tip I can give you, focus your energy on the Yongcheon point on your soles as long as you can. Keep circulating the energy beneath your feet in the shape of a '卍' symbol, and eventually you'll be able to walk across the swamp. Heuheu."
With that, Hong Gukyul turned and disappeared.
'... That drunken old bastard.'
Jaseong was dumbfounded, but he couldn't afford to just stand around dazed forever.
He was rapidly sinking, proof of how deep the swamp truly was.
Sticky mud clung to his ankles, and something slippery brushed against his legs.
'I should activate my Samadhi Eyes first.'
Jaseong steadied his breathing and focused his mind.
Saaa—
As the domain of Samadhi opened up, a 'pure white trajectory' appeared before his eyes.
It was the true energy flow route he had seen earlier when Hong Gukyul had demonstrated Heaven Evading Phantom Step.
'卍.'
Following that trajectory, Jaseong moved his internal energy from the dantian.
Within the slowed-down flow of time, he carefully gathered his energy into the Yongcheon point of his soles, and cycled the gathered energy in a '卍' pattern, slowly releasing it.
Then, in the very next moment—
'I'm rising...!'
Jaseong's body, which had been sinking into the swamp, began to float upward little by little.
If the practitioners of past generations had seen it, their eyes would have twitched in disbelief.
It was one thing to say circulate energy in a '卍' shape through the Yongcheon point, but even the most gifted prodigies in the martial world couldn't pull off such a feat.
Yet Jaseong did it in a single try.
Because time slowed within the vision of the Samadhi Eyes, he was able to observe and meticulously control the flow of ki with his own eyes.
'... At this rate, just like when I realized the essence of the Heaven Evading Three Talents Sword Technique all at once, I might be able to grasp the heart of the Heaven Evading Phantom Step all at once as well....'
But at some point, the smile faded from Jaseong's lips.
The task Hong Gukyul set was to walk across the swamp.
If he could rise, all that was left was to walk.
Yet as soon as Jaseong took a step—
Puuuk—
The energy that had been circulating under his foot in a '卍' shape dissipated.
Then his foot plunged deep into the swamp.
'At this rate, I'm going to die...!'
Jaseong hurriedly focused his mind.
But no matter how many times he activated the Samadhi Eyes, he couldn't walk on top of the swamp.
Because of that, his body repeatedly sank and rose in the swamp,
and at one point, even got a cramp in his sole.
'Damn it...!'
Immediately, Jaseong desperately blasted his internal energy from his dantian.
Puaak!!
As the energy burst out, mud exploded in all directions.
Flailing like a fish tossed from water, Jaseong managed to desperately scramble out of the swamp.
"Huff... Huff... Just now, I almost died for real."
Lying flat on the muddy ground, Jaseong gasped for air.
When he looked around, Hong Gukyul was nowhere to be seen.
He'd apparently gone off to drink again.
"... What a useless man."
Furrowing his brows, Jaseong fell into deep thought.
'I can manage to last about a quarter hour... but I'm nowhere near being able to actually walk atop the swamp. Just how am I supposed to completely walk atop it without sinking?'
Unlike the Heaven Evading Three Talents Sword Technique, which he grasped in one go, the Heaven Evading Phantom Step was not so easily understood and mastered.
"... Let's try again."
Brushing off the mud, Jaseong returned to the swamp.
But no matter how many times he tried—from day to night, attempting hundreds of times—he kept failing.
Not even the amount of time he could float on the surface increased.
Barely from one quarter hour to two.
That was Jaseong's limit.
'Damn it... Do I really need more than ten years to truly master Heaven Evading Phantom Step, just like Hong Gukyul said...!'
For Jaseong, who wanted to become stronger as quickly as possible, it was a situation that made him grit his teeth.
His eyes flashed with anger and impatience.
Of course, what Jaseong didn't realize was that just being able to float atop the swamp for more than a quarter hour at all, only a day into his training, was already an amazing feat.
Heaven Evading Phantom Step, compared to every other footwork on earth, was on a whole other level of difficulty.
Even Hong Gukyul in his prime took three months just to walk atop a swamp.
Compared to that, Jaseong's rate of progress was several times faster.
'Whew... I've done as much as I can for now, maybe I should rest.
Day has turned to night, and night into day again...
I haven't eaten a single meal all day and have been training the whole time, my body is already at its limit, and my soles are cramping....'
Slaaap!
But then, all of a sudden, Jaseong slapped his own face.
"... What an idiotic thought."
Jaseong's voice sank low.
... He was the kind of person who couldn't even throw a punch at his mortal enemies because he was so weak,
and he'd sworn to become a master who could stand atop the world,
yet here he was, thinking about wasting years on just one footwork technique?
And those enemies—weren't they growing stronger every moment?
'... You must succeed. If you don't gain the faintest clue, don't even leave this swamp! Just die!'
A fierce determination burned hot in Jaseong's eyes.
Next,
Chuak!
With his blade, he cut his own sole and loosened his cramped muscle.
Such relentless grit was hard to believe from a seventeen-year-old boy—
This was the driving force behind Jaseong.
Thinking of his eldest big brother and sister-in-law's smiling faces, Jaseong entered the swamp again.
* * *
'... To think he could last a quarter hour as soon as he entered the swamp. The Samadhi Eyes really are as talented as the rumors say.'
In fact, Hong Gukyul, whom Jaseong thought had gone off drinking, was observing his training from afar.
The reason he didn't interfere was simple.
The true meaning of Heaven Evading Phantom Step was best realized on one's own.
'I heard he was the most naturally gifted among all the executioners of Heaven's Mandate throughout history, and it seems to be true. But...
Even with spirit like that, it should take him two or three months to properly walk on the swamp. Heaven Evading Phantom Step is on a whole different plane from Heaven Evading Three Talents Sword Technique.'
Hong Gukyul stroked his chin in thought.
'But why did the sword immortal order me to teach that kid Heaven Evading Phantom Step as his foundational footwork in the first place? It's a stretch to call that a basic footwork... Even if I'm allowed sixteen days and nights on earth, will that kid be able to realize its true essence... Tsk.'
Then another thing happened that made Hong Gukyul's eyes twitch even more.
Slaaap!
Even after training all day atop the swamp and seeming like he'd finally decide to take a break, Jaseong did not stop training.
Gnawing on tree roots and drinking water now and then was the only rest he took.
This was a sight Hong Gukyul had never seen before.
Having ruled the martial world as a supreme master for over a century and seen countless prodigies, he had never seen someone with this kind of grit.
'... Ordinary prodigies often lack effort. They master everything far too easily. When they hit a wall, they crumble just as quickly.
That's why among those called prodigy during childhood, many are eventually stopped by their lack of grit and cannot surpass their limits.
But this kid is different. A monster with that much talent, and yet he has this insane tenacity...'
After watching Jaseong for nearly an entire day, Hong Gukyul felt goosebumps down his spine for the first time in ages.
It gave him an almost uncanny feeling.
After observing Jaseong's training for a while,
Hong Gukyul went down the mountain.
After all, he couldn't just watch over Jaseong's training forever.
It had been centuries since he descended to the world, so he needed to enjoy good drink and food.
"The swamp's plenty deep, but with his skills he won't drown... Guess I'll go get good and drunk and check back tomorrow."
Hong Gukyul went around to the nearby pleasure houses, stealing drinks and food.
Having been deprived of such pleasures for centuries, he wasted not a single moment, relishing being alive.
He intentionally left himself drunk, even though he could dispel the intoxication with a single cycle of his internal energy—that's how much he wanted to savor it.
But the next morning—
Swaaah!!!
When Hong Gukyul opened his eyes on the street, something unexpected had happened.
As if a hole had opened in the sky, a torrential rain was pouring down.
"A flood!"
People were crying out in alarm.
The streets had become a sea of water, and people were scrambling for higher ground.
"... He couldn't possibly still be in the swamp, could he?"
It was the perfect situation for the swamp to flood.
Even a 1st-rate master would have trouble escaping a swelling swamp.
Hong Gukyul rushed up the hill to the swamp.
If he let Heaven's Mandate's practitioner die after coming to train him, he'd be severely punished by the Celestial Realm's immortals.
But when he arrived at the wild mountain swamp in no time, he witnessed a scene that was difficult to believe even with his own eyes.
"...!"
The swamp had swelled violently with the torrential rain.
And as he had feared, Jaseong was still absorbed in his training.
'That foolish kid...!'
Hong Gukyul instantly dashed to rescue Jaseong.
But in that moment, his feet suddenly stopped.
On the wildly surging and overflowing swamp,
Jaseong stood, eyes closed,
breathing calmly despite the chaos around him.
His posture, his cultivation, had changed just overnight, and astonishingly, he was now simply floating atop the swirling, raging swamp.
What followed next was even more shocking.
Step— step—
Jaseong began to walk atop the madly overflowing swamp in the pouring rain,
as calmly as if he were walking along flat ground.
Watching this scene, Hong Gukyul felt as if he were dreaming.
'... Even seeing it with my own eyes, I can't believe this monstrous talent... To master the Celestial Realm's light step in just a single night... What is this...'
A young boy walking atop a storm-swollen swamp.
In that moment, an aura of prodigy far beyond any talent in history radiated from him.